ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: There's a guy I like. We've spent time around each other in group settings, and he seems like someone worth exploring. There's chemistry between us; we flirt often, but part of me is afraid to cross the line. The complication is that we have a mutual friend who can be incredibly nosy and invasive. This friend has a habit of ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A student at my child's high school died from suicide at the very end of the last school year. The young man was a popular baseball player on the school's team, and he was from a socially popular family in my neighborhood.

There were multiple tributes to him made by well-meaning members of the community: Green ribbons were ...Read more

Dear Annie: My neighbor has taken "borrowing a cup of sugar" to ridiculous levels. In the past six months, she's borrowed my ladder, my hedge clippers, two baking pans and, most recently, my patio chairs for her daughter's graduation party. She always promises to return things "tomorrow," but I usually have to go ask, and sometimes they come ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Al," and I are retired and live on a farm with a great son and daughter-in-law. Al is the best person I have ever known, and he adores me. Everyone loves and respects him, and they seek his friendship, approval and advice, which is usually right. He's a rarity. Our son "Trent" and his wife idolize him.

My issue? When ...Read more

Linking yourself to the community is the next step in widening your circle of connectedness. By joining a voluntary organization or international agency (whichever seems more important to you and seems to need you more), by manning a hotline for a battered women's shelter or by helping to organize an international fast day to raise awareness of ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Yesterday, I went to Target to do some shopping. I paid the cashier in cash, and instead of giving me $2 in change, she gave me $200. I usually don't check my change, especially when it's supposed to be such a small amount, so I didn't realize until I was already back home that I was given the wrong change back. I don't live very...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: While having a casual dinner at my parents' house, I noticed that my brother and his fiancee were wearing wedding bands. I texted my sister to ask if they had secretly gotten married, and she told me I needed to talk to our brother.

He finally called me tonight and told me that they did indeed go to the courthouse to get ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the friend everyone calls when they need something.

I am the one who remembers birthdays, checks in after surgeries, brings soup when someone is sick and sends the "just thinking of you" text. If a friend is going through a divorce, I am there. If someone's child is struggling, I listen for hours. If there is a crisis, I show...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Wade," and I were expecting our first child and couldn't wait to tell the news to our family and friends. But my boyfriend can't keep a secret, and before we told our parents, he told his best friend and his wife. Wade told them to not tell anyone since we still hadn't reached the 12-week mark.

A month later, I found ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a resident assistant in my last year of college. During my time in my university's residential life department, I have seen many changes that have negatively impacted their residential staff and made it harder for us to form genuine connections with our residents. Our opinions are often overlooked as inexperienced even ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We live in an era where the social fabric has thinned significantly. The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away. Opportunities for natural socialization have plummeted across the country, leaving many of us more isolated than generations past.

In this...Read more

Dear Annie: I never imagined that after raising three children, loving them through every stage and being a hands-on mother, I would end up feeling like a stranger to my own grandchildren.

My son married a woman who, at first, seemed organized and devoted. Over time, though, it has become clear that she likes to control every family ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have an acquaintance, "Tina," who I believe is fraudulently using her GoFundMe fundraising webpage. A close friend of hers set it up a few years ago to assist with medical bills related to a rare form of cancer that will never fully go away. When the page began, Tina was soliciting donations on Facebook and sending text messages to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son just bought a motorcycle. I don't know if this is some version of a midlife crisis, but I need help stopping him! He is nearly 40 and a single dad. He is the only parent his daughter has, and I don't want her to lose him because he's finally found his wild side. I was a nurse for over 25 years, and during that time, I have...Read more